No One Left Behind
by ThisIsTheGreatestUsername
Summary: As Klein left Kirito to find his friends in the Starting City, he thinks to himself: what the hell do I do now? POST-EP1


**Author's Notes:** It's been a while since I last published anything. The past year has saw me lost most of my interest to write, then regain it for a bit, only to lose it again. There were several times that I wanted to sit down and write a story, but every time I could not write enough to qualify as a proper story before losing all motivation and starting over. But before the last week of 2018, I decided for certain that I wanted to complete one new story. So I actually got to writing and this story is the result of that. It is not supposed to be long a story, and it's about 80% completed now, but I decided to publish one half of it first reasoning that it would give me more motivation to finish the second half.

Anyway, this story just simply starts off where Klein left Kirito and goes from there. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 **No Man Left Behind - Part 1**

Klein leaned his back against the wall, looking back at the alley in which he had just left Kirito. He could feel his heart beating—hear it thumping.

 _What are you doing, Ryou? How could you just leave a kid by himself?_

Half of him wanted to peeped back at the alley, to see if Kirito was still there, but the other half knew better. Kirito was already gone. Klein had seen it in his eyes when the teen suggested that they head to the next town immediately. That sureness of purpose; knowing exactly what needed to be done and how exactly to do it. He wished he had it himself. But right now, standing here on this empty backstreet with locked doors and shuttered windows, under the orange twilight skylight, he had not the faintest idea what he was going to do.

 _Still though, he can't be more than fifteen and I just let him go off like that. I'm supposed to be the adult here, damn it._

His hand clenched into a ball, digging his fingernails into his palm. A sensation welled up inside him and at first, he did not know what it was until he realized that it was anger. Anger at the situation he was thrown in. Anger at the robed bastard playing god. But most of all, anger at himself for feeling so useless now. He forced himself to calm down, tossing all thoughts and feelings to some recess of his mind. Only once his head was fully cleared did he think again, abandoning all sense of indecisiveness.

 _I'll find my friends first and then I'll catch up to you, Kirito. You better take care of yourself until then._

He pressed his index and middle fingers together and swiped the air in front of him. The translucent menu scrolled into view, a list of system options for him to select. The final button was greyed out, a reminder of why they were all here—all ten thousand of them—stuck in this simulated world where death was very much real. An ironic twist.

He went into his friends' list and scanned the short list of names, relieved that they were not greyed out for that meant they were still alive at least. _They need me more now than Kirito does,_ he told himself, more so to make himself feel better.

There were shouts coming down from the upper end of streets now. Feet rushing. Clamouring. Crying. The panic at the central plaza must be spreading to rest of the city like wildfire as the weight of the situation fully sunk into the players. Klein knew he had meet up with his friends as soon as possible. The inevitable chaos was coming, and the despair that would soon follow.

He hit the send button for the message he typed.

 **Meet me at the stable near the Northern Gate ASAP.**

And with that, he set off immediately, hoping that his friends would know where to find the place. A player ran past him, heading the opposite direction. _His face is completely in tears._

* * *

He smelt the stench of the stable from a little way off before the establishment came into sight, and nearly gagged. It was a medium-sized wooden building with stalls that had large open windows where the horses stuck their heads out, their glossy dark eyes watching Klein as he approached.

A smile broke across his face when he saw Kunimittz leaning against a pole, calmly waiting as if all was well in the world and they were just meeting to catch up. Kunimittz was taller than Klein, with a head of black spiky hair that complemented his sharp jawline well. In the words of the very few lady acquaintances they had, he was simply the better and more mature looking man than Klein himself. But that did little justice to the kind of person Kunimittz really was, in Klein's opinion.

"Yo, Kunimi," he greeted, his smile only growing bigger as he got closer to his friend.

Kunimittz returned the smile and embraced him. "Good to see you, Ryou. What a mess this turned out to be, huh?"

"Tell me about it. It stinks here, by the way, didn't think this through when I pick this place to meet." He gave the stable another look round, noticing the NPC stablemaster carrying a bucket filled with water to the horses.

"This is what happens when you group a bunch of horses together and let them piss and shit wherever they like."

Klein laughed. "True that."

"I like how you can still laugh given the shit we're all in," Kunimittz said, amused.

 _Laughing is all that I know how to do now._ "You don't seem that worried either," he responded.

"Trust me, I'm worried alright. Just trying to stay calm that's all. Worse thing to do right now is to lose all our heads."

Klein nodded. _Easier said than done._ "What do you reckon we do then?"

"I'd like to hear what you have in mind first," Kunimittz said.

The red-haired twenty-four-year-old shrugged, crossing his arms. "You heard what that thing said. The only way out of this game is to clear all one hundred floors. That's one option. The other is to simply wait and see if the people on the outside can somehow rescue us."

"I think for everyone it comes down to those two choices. Question is which one do we take?"

 _Which one indeed? I made up my mind to catch up to Kirito, but I can't speak for the others. This is a choice they have to make as well._ He waved his hand dismissively in the air. "Too much uncertainty right now. I say we wait till the others arrive and then we'll decide."

"You're right." Kunimittz let out a sigh, which sounded like relief. Klein could tell that he was glad that they weren't rushing to make a decision yet.

"Oh, by the way, have you seen Dayu? I didn't get a chance to add him since he logged in late, so I couldn't send him a message just now."

Kunimittz shook his head. "No, sorry. I didn't get a chance as well. Maybe one of the others have."

"I hope so." _If they haven't, then that means looking for him through all of this…_ He looked back down the street where he had came from. The starkness of the whitewashed brick buildings was prominent even underneath the soot-filled smoke wafting out of their chimneys. He could hear noise of cries and hysteria coming from the distance—faint but still very much audible. Thousands lost in this large city that was now their prison.

A player burst out from around the corner of an alley and onto the street. Klein grinned, dark thoughts retreating to the back of his mind. Even at a far distance, he could recognise that thin moustache and cheap goatee. He could recognize it anywhere. Dynamm was not a man who cared a lot about his appearances and as such did little to clean up. But right now, seeing him dressed in brown medieval tunic and ash-dark trousers as opposed to his usual trousers and t-shirt, Klein could not imagine a more ridiculous image. _Like someone I should be worried about around children._

"Oi, Denshi! Over here!" He waved his friend over.

Dynamm gave a shout of joy at the sight of them and came hurrying over with all speed.

"It's like he just saw hell at his back," Kunimittz said with a chuckle.

 _Maybe he has._ "Good run there, eh, Denshi?" Klein said when the player reached them.

"Still alive at least," said Dynamm, all but panting, hands on knees. "Can't say that for about two hundred people here."

"My god, Denshi!" exclaimed Kunimittz, smacking his forehead in dumbfound.

"Sorry. Too soon?"

"Damn right," said Klein. _Two hundred and thirteen. That was the death toll already, Kayaba had told us._

"Eh, give it a few weeks." Dynamm stood up fully, running a hand through his moppy hair.

"Remind me again how we're friends?"

"We all struck out with girls and found that in common?"

"Speak that for yourself. Your failed love life does not interest me," said Klein.

"Not interested? Isn't that what Makoto said to you when you finally grew the balls to ask her out?"

Kunimittz stifled a laugh. "You had to know that was coming, Ryou."

Like every time the name of his first crush was mentioned, his heart felt like it was speared. He quickly changed topics. "Have you seen, Dayu?" he asked Dynamm.

Dynamm shook his head. "No, he logged in late, didn't he? You couldn't get a hold of him?"

"No. Was hoping one of you guys did."

"Shit. It's a bloodbath back there," he indicated back towards the central plaza. The easy humour of the player was gone now, replaced with a grim expression. "Everyone's lost their minds—except you two it seems. How the hell are you guys so calm by the way?"

"We're coping in our own ways," Kunimittz said.

"I guess I'm just about doing the same on my own," Dynamm said, hands clasping the back of his head. "All serious, I'm really glad to have you guys here right now."

"I can say the same. Don't worry, we'll get through this together. All of us," Klein said. _If only they would show up soon._

"Haru! Isshin!" Kunimittz suddenly shouted.

Klein turned and saw two figures coming from down the street. Issin had Harry under one shoulder, half-carrying the shorter player whose skin was all but pale, walking listlessly.

The three of them ran out of the stables towards them.

"Haru, what's wrong?" Klein asked, taking the player by the arm.

Harry did not answer, merely looking at each of them but seemingly not registering them in his mind. His baby-like face contrasted sharply with the longer pointy one of Issin; many often mistake him being younger than he really was.

"He's in shock," said Issin. "Lucky that I ran into him in the central plaza, else he'll still be there. Absolute chaos back there. People started taking out their frustrations on the NPCs and the city guards got sent to deal with the riot. Barely manage to pull him out before they began the crack down."

They helped Harry off Issin's shoulder and the young-looking player sunk to sit down on the pavement. Klein placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's okay now, you're with us."

At that, Harry's eyes shot up. "What do we do, Ryou? What do we do? We can't be stuck here, can we?"

 _How do I even answer that?_ "We'll figure something out. Don't worry."

"Don't worry? We might die here!" The last words came out as a shout and Klein had to stop himself from taking a step back. "We can't pull out the NerveGears! No one on the outside can! We die if they do! We—"

Issin slapped him. "Shut it, Haru. We don't need to hear that," he snapped. "Keep it together man. I did not drag you out of that shithole only for you to join that despair."

Harry clutched his smacked cheek, eyes retreating to the ground. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright. Just take a few moments to breath," Klein said, then backed up to let him to do so.

' _We might die here!'_ He looked around at the rest of his friends, observing their faces. _They're all thinking about it too. Shit, what are we going to do really?_

"This wasn't supposed to happen," said Harry softly. "We were only supposed to have fun. We hardly see each other anymore because of our jobs. This was supposed to be a game for us to chill and hang. All I wanted was to enjoy some time with my friends. Why did this have to happen?"

"God knows," Issin hounded. "What's the point in even thinking about it? We're trapped here and all that matters now is that we get out. So if you can stop cryin—"

"Isshin," said Klein, resting a hand on the thin man, "that's enough."

That caused Issin to pause and then nod. "Sorry, Haru. You know how I am. I don't have a sensitive bone in my body."

Harry looked at up at him, held his gaze for a moment, then shook his head. "It's okay. You're right. I really needed to hear that. Thanks for saving me earlier. I…wasn't myself." He pushed himself to his feet, dusting his trousers. "What matters is what we're going to do now?"

 _The question that I keep on hearing._ Klein closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, he found that all his friends were looking at him. _They're all expecting me to make the decision._ In all the years they've known each since middle school, he did not know when exactly he became their unofficial leader, but ever since then they have looked to him when it came to be making big decisions. He had never asked for the responsibility. It just happened on him.

He looked to Kunimittz for help, but only received a shrug. _They seem to think that it can only be me who can take charge._ He looked around at their faces and let out a sigh. _If I have to do, I'll do it. For you all._

He cleared his throat. "Dayu isn't here yet. I'm guessing you two haven't seen him?" he said to Issin and Harry.

They shook their head. "Dayu wasn't here when we all logged in," said Harry, much more composed now. "The plan was that we all meet tomorrow at the town center, spending today to gather what tips and tricks we can from any beta-testers we find."

Klein nodded. "That's right. We got to find him now then."

"This is not going to be easy," said Kunimittz. "Dayu isn't exactly the type of person who would hug a tree until found."

"Damn straight," said Dynamm. "That big idiot making it tough for everyone again."

"No more than you usually do," Issin said.

"Nah, I'm the only one in this group who was born with the right number of chromosomes."

Klein waved for them to be quiet. "No matter how hard it is, we still gotta find him. He's our friend and we're not going to leave him behind. Like I said just now, we will get through this _together_. We leave no one behind." He thought about Kirito and how he had left him behind, causing his heart to clench. _Just wait, Kirito, just wait._

"How corny," said Dynamm, drawing some light laughs.

"But it's exactly what we're going to do," said Kunimittz.

Klein nodded. _Oh yes, we are._

* * *

The orange hue of twilight descended on the Starting City, covering every bit of façades, roads, alleys, and pavements. Klein walked through the sparse streets, which seemed so much wider now that the NPCs had retreated to their homes for the evening and most players had deigned to lock themselves in inn rooms till kingdom come. The few players still outside laid sitting on the ground, heads buried, knees curled into their bodies, crying to themselves. Some others moved about listlessly, just plainly lost. _I guess we're all lost in some ways._

"Dayu could be in any one of these inns," said Kunimittz, looking through the windows of buildings as they passed.

"But you said it yourself, he isn't the type to stick around waiting," Klein replied.

"Yeah, but who knows if he'll do what we think he'll do in a situation like this. People can lose their common sense."

"That's true, but even if he is it'll be impossible to search all the inns in this city. What we can do is just to start looking for him out on the streets first. My bet is he's still out here."

Kunimittz nodded. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Should we split up then? We got a lot of ground to cover and we can easily send each other messages."

 _That's certainly the smart thing to do, but…_ Klein glanced at Harry, who walked near the back of the group. The youthful-looking player had gotten himself under control for the most part surprisingly quick, to the point where he was nearly his old self, but there was no guarantee what would happen if everyone was to go out on their own now.

"No, I think it's best we stick together. I'm scared of being alone, you see," he said with a light-hearted smile.

Kunimittz gave him a look of understanding, having caught that glance. "You're right, chief. To be honest, Ryou, I think I'll be scared being out on my own as well. I think we all will be. I just suggested it because I'm just trying to look at things in a logical way."

"It's good that you do, Kunimi. That level head of yours is what we need."

"No, what we need is for Dayu to show up now."

"You would think that finding a guy the size of Godzilla would be easy," Dynamm intersected, straightening out his moustache. "I reckon we should ask around."

"Ask who exactly?" Issin questioned, spreading both arms to indicate the bareness of the area.

Dynamm shrugged, then walked up to one of the players sitting on his own against the wall of building, tapping him on the shoulder. "Yo, sorry to bother you, but have you seen our friend? Big fat guy, has an afro, in his twenties but looks like he could be the father of three." The player shook his head, not even looking up, eyes just staring on the ground ahead in a daze of some sort. "Did I mention that he was fat?"

"I don't know how the hell you can still be joking in a time like this," said Issin.

"How else would you describe Dayu? It's the best I can do without showing a picture," Dynamm said.

"Good point."

Klein observed the player on the ground—pale face, red eyes, clothes stained with dust and dirt—then looked down the street, where there were dozens of others like him. _Some of them look younger than Kirito. Damn you Kayaba._

"Come on guys, let's go," he said. "I don't think anyone here has seen Dayu."

"Even if they have, I doubt they can look past their own despair long enough to tell you," a nasally voice came from beside them.

Klein spun, startled, and located the source coming from a nearby alley, where out of the shadows stepped forward a short girl wearing a dark brown cloak. Her hood was down, and the auburn locks of her hair came down only to her shoulder. She regarded them with an expression that Klein could not tell was playful or careful.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Everyone's got their own problems now. Helping another person with theirs is the last thing they're thinking of right now," the girl said.

Klein took another glance at the player on the pavement. "I reckon you're right."

A patrol of NPC guards marched down the street then, the setting sun glinting off their helmets and breastplates, their boots kicking up dust, spearheads bobbing around with each step. Several players shrunk away as they went past them, cowering in apprehension. Klein watched the guards go for a bit before returning his attention back.

"These guys are everywhere in the city after they crushed that riot in the central plaza," said the girl, then raised an eyebrow. "You folks were there?"

"Got out just before everything went to shit." _Well, Kirito got me out._

"Lucky, you did. It shocked a lot of people when they found that attacking a guard made you go orange and that meant you could lose health inside the Safe Zone."

"Oh shit really?" Klein exclaimed. _Orange. Kirito said that if you commit a crime your cursor turns orange and that made you a target._ "What happened after?"

"Those orange just surrendered themselves to be arrested. If they resisted, they would've probably been killed. Better prison than dead."

"Well, this game keeps getting better," muttered Dynamm.

"Trust me, this is only the start. We've got more bullshit down the line." The auburn-haired girl stroke her cheek.

"You're a beta-tester," said Kunimittz.

She nodded and bowed. "Argo, SAO's resident info-broker. Pleased to make your acquaintances."

 _Beta-tester. She's the same as Kirito. I can't tell if she's fazed by all of this or is just really good at hiding her emotions._ "I'm Klein," he said, and all his friends gave their avatar name.

"I heard you guys are searching for someone. I happen to know a lot of what goes on around if you can't tell. Might be that I can help you."

"We are. His avatar name should be Dale." He gave a short description of the man.

Argo put a hand to her chin. "Haven't heard that name. But I might have seen someone of that description."

That made Klein's heart flutter with hope. "Tell us what you know."

"Normally, I would charge for the info I give, but since I can't be sure if it's even the person you're looking for, I'd give it to you folks for free. Hate to give out false info. Anyway, I saw him and a few other players heading out of the eastern gate about an hour ago."

 _That means outside the Safe Zone._

"What the hell is he doing out of the city?" Issin uttered.

"Getting his fat ass killed that's what," said Dynamm.

Klein raised his hand to calm them down. "Guys relax." He turned to Argo. "Thanks for telling us that. It might or might not be our friend, but at least we got a lead now to check out."

"I expect to collect the debt one day," she said with a smile.

She turned to leave down the alley she appeared from, but Klein stopped her.

"Hope you don't mind answering one more question though. You said that everyone is too deep into their own problems that they hardly want to help others with theirs. But then why did you help us?"

She gave him a toothy grin. "Do you really want to know that?"

"I do."

"It'll cost you 500 Cols. I'm not giving out more than one freebie. Still want to know?"

Klein was taken aback and did not say anything.

A laugh broke out of her. "Thought so." She turned, pulled up her hood, and then disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

"What a character," said Kunimittz, still staring at where the beta-tester had left them.

"Nice of her to help us though," Harry said.

Kunimittz shrugged. "Someone had to."

"I reckon so," Klein said.

* * *

The gatehouse loomed ahead. Built of huge grey blocks, it towered over the surrounding area like a castle. A golden flag with the emblem of a roaring griffin flew above its uppermost turret. Two guards stood by either side of the raised portcullis, polearms upright and ready to challenge if needed.

"It's getting dark," observed Harry.

Klein nodded, noticing the shadows of buildings growing longer and longer. "Probably another half an hour before we lose the sun completely."

"Better find Dayu by then. I don't like the idea of behind outside at night," said Issin.

"With any luck, he'll be on his way back now and we'll meet him on the road."

"We've been a bit short on luck lately," said Kunimittz.

As they drew closer to the gate, Klein could see better the drawbridge that spanned across the city's moat, opening up to fields of rock-strewn meadows beyond, orange under the dying light of the day. _I was training with Kirito out there._ His hand fell to the hilt of his sabre, the rough leather texture sanding his palm. The guards still stood firmly at their posts as he approached, their expressions hidden behind the visors of their bascinets. He paused right before the portcullis, his friends halting behind him as well.

"What is it, Ryou?" asked Kunimittz.

 _Stepping past this line means exiting the Safe Zone. A few hours ago that only meant where the fun began, but now it's a whole different beast._ He looked back at all those with him, wondering if they were all ready to go out into this death game so soon. "Once we cross this bridge, there's no Safe Zone," he said. "I feel I should say something, but I'm not sure what."

They all nodded.

"Don't worry, we know," said Issin. "We all heard what that bastard said."

"It's all just Frenzy Boars out here anyway. I'm sure all of us had taken on a few of them before. They aren't so tough," Dynamm added.

 _It's whole different story when you know your life is on the line though._

"They won't attack us anyway if we don't attack them first," said Kunimittz. "All we got to do is find Dayu then head back. No need to get into any unnecessary fights."

Klein nodded. "We stick together. No one wander off. If something does happen, just keep your composure and retreat if needed."

"Sounds simple enough. Can we go now?" Issin unhooked his mace from his belt and strapped a green kite shield to his left forearm.

"Will you be alright, Haru?" Klein asked.

The brown-haired spearman gave a hesitant nod. "I'll be okay."

 _Here's hoping for the best then._ Klein took a deep breath, calming the butterflies flying within his stomach, then stepped forward onto the drawbridge, the wood creaking under his boot.

 **You Are Now Leaving A Safe Zone**

Those words appeared at the top of his HUD. _This is it then._ His hand clenched tighter around the hilt of his sabre.

They walked along the gravel road for a short distance before veering off onto the meadows where the grass came up to their shins. The city walls stood impassively to their left, torches lighting the top of the parapet, the embrasures revealing guards at their station.

It wasn't long until they came across the first Frenzy Boar, the dark red hide of the beast almost black under the growing shadows of the night. Several players were hard at work grinding and they eyed Klein and his friends as they approached, as one would when observing any potential competition. _We're not here to steal your mobs,_ Klein felt like saying, but chose instead to keep quiet.

Dynamm had an arrow ready to be nocked at a moment's notice and his eyes darted around nervously. "Damn it, why did Dayu had to log in late? This all could have been avoided if he was on time."

"Not his fault. He couldn't have known this would happen. None of us did," Klein said.

"I know. I'm just saying that's all."

"Anyway, the plan was always to meet up tomorrow," said Kunimittz. "How did everyone get on today by the way?"

"I didn't find any testers," said Harry. "I just went out on my own and practiced."

"Same here," Issin said.

"Someone just showed me where to get this bow and then left me." Dynamm indicated at his weapon.

Klein thought back to the hours he had spent with Kirito. "I met one really cool guy actually. Kirito was his name and he taught me everything he could. He's a bit awkward but I can tell he's a good guy at heart."

"Where is he now?" Kunimittz asked.

 _Where are you now, indeed?_ "He's gone ahead to the next village, reckoned that he could get a head start on all the other players." _You better still be alive._ "He looks to only be about fifteen I think. Didn't really get a chance to thank him and he's all out there alone now."

"You're thinking of catching up to him, aren't you?" Kunimittz questioned.

 _Sharp as ever, Kunimi._ "Yes," he admitted. "But I wanted to make sure you guys were okay first before going." He had planned to wait till they found Dayu before announcing his decision but seeing that now they were onto him he had no choice but to say it now.

"You're leaving us, Ryou?" Harry said.

"No, no, no. I wasn't ever planning on doing that," he said hastily, waving his hands defensively. "It's just that I want to help to clear this game. But I can't expect you guys to want to do the same. So…I don't know." He felt at a loss for words.

"Why though?"

"I don't feel comfortable with the idea of just sitting around here doing nothing. What if there's no one coming to save us? For all purposes, we got to assume that we're by ourselves now. You guys saw the people back in the city. Everyone's scared. Someone has got to step up."

"Aren't you scared too though?" Kunimittz asked.

"Terrified," he said. "But I feel that it's not me to let others like Kirito risk their lives. I want to protect as many people as I can."

"You don't need to be a goddamn hero, Ryou," said Issin. "There's no honour in death."

"As a follower of the bushido code, I kindly disagree." Klein smiled, sticking a thumb at his bandana.

Issin shook his head in bewilderment. "Damn it, Ryou, I'm being serious."

"I'm serious as well. These people, they don't deserve to be stuck here. There's kids here for godsake. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't fight for them. I just want to make sure all of you are okay first. I won't ask any of you to follow me—"

"Kunimi," Issin turned to the tall player, exasperated, "can you explain to this dumbfuck that I'm not saying he's wrong for wanting to protect people, but he's an idiot if he thinks we're going to let him go off on his own."

"Wait, what?"

Kunimittz cleared his throat. 'Ryou, you're an idiot."

"That's right, we're going with you," said Harry. "I don't like the idea, but I don't like the idea of being useless even more."

"No guys, you guys don't need to come fight if you really don't want to," Klein argued.

"Yeah, I'm sure we all prefer to be one of those losers sitting in the streets crying for someone to rescue them," Dynamm deadpanned. "Just let us watch after your ass, Ryou. You know you need it."

"Look, we don't have to all make a decision now. Let's get Dayu first, then we'll talk about this again later. I just don't want you guys to do anything rash and get yourselves killed."

"Rash like what you're doing?" Kunimittz said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I'm an idiot like you said." He flashed a grin. "We'll talk more later."

They all silently agreed and focused once more on finding their last friend. Still no signs of the big guy.

As they summited a small hill that overlooked the fields, Klein saw the spot where Kirito had shown him the basics. _Must have only been two hours ago when I sat there with Kirito watching the sunset. That was when I found out we could not log out. I wonder what the others thought when they found out._

A shout coming from his right drew his attention. He spun and saw one blond-haired player running, crying out for help. Behind him, chased six Frenzy Boars, closing the distance on him fast. The player scrambled over a small crop of rocks, perhaps in hope that they will slow the boars down, but the beasts merely hopped over them with surprising ease.

"Shit, we got to help him," said Klein without hesitation. He drew his sabre, but the blade got stuck in the sheath and it took an awkward second to get it free, then sprinted forward.

The player by now had accepted that he could not outrun his pursuers and stood his ground, longsword in a guard position. He side-stepped the first boar, cut its side, spun to avoid the second, then vaulted over the third as it charged, landed with a roll and promptly got to his feet. Klein could not help but be impressed, but it was still clear that the player was still overwhelmed. The boars circled around him, winding up another round of attack.

 _How do I activate a Sword Skill again?_ He tried to remember what Kirito had told him. His mind came up blank. _Screw it, no time to think now._

Without checking to see if his friends were still with him, he barrelled into the closest boar, taking it to the ground with him. The beast squealed, thrashing its tusks at Klein. One caught in Klein's ribs and he felt the air leave his lungs as he was knocked back. Like the first time, he felt no pain; his health bar dropped by a good fraction. _Don't think about it. Just get up._ He got his legs under him and pushed, leaping at the boar who was having trouble getting back up, slashing its head.

"Arghh!" Blood splattered across his face, blinding him for a second as he wiped them off his eyes with his forearm. The boar had somehow gotten to its feet in that time and Klein saw it winding up a charge. It blew steam out of its nose, eyes glowing red with anger, and rushed forward. He jumped out in the last second, threw a glancing blow at it side, then followed up with another clumsy cut. The blows did not cut deep, but it drew a furious scream from the boar.

Involuntarily, he backed a step and bumped into Issin.

"Move, Ryou!" The bony man pushed him out of the way before he could respond, and he saw another boar charged through.

"Thanks!" He got up and found Harry to his right, trying to ward off a boar with his spear.

An arrow missed him by a few inches. He looked back and saw Dynamm giving him an apologetic expression. "Sorry!"

"We're getting in each other's way," Kunimittz's voice came from somewhere.

"Spread out!" Klein shouted.

There was a shout behind him and he felt a hard blow at his back, knocking him forward off his feet, dropping his sabre somewhere. His mouth met grass and dirt, tasting the grit. He tried to get up but had the weight of someone pinning him to the ground. He pushed with all his strength and managed to flop onto his back. It was Harry who had crashed into him and he saw a boar dashing towards them. Without a word, he boosted his friend up with a kick, then rolled out of the trajectory of the incoming beast.

He got on his feet as the boar turned to face him again. A rush of anger suddenly filled his head, after been knocked down twice, and he gritted his teeth, wanting to end this fight now. The motions came to him abruptly from the recess of his memory, and he brought his sabre up above his shoulder. _"Hold it there for a split second."_ He felt a build-up of momentum welling up within his body. " _Then just let go."_

His body shot forward with supernatural speed without any volition of his own. He had no time to react before his blade cut into the Frenzy Boar between its eyes, a satisfying shock reverberating through his arm as iron bit into flesh then met bone. _I just did a Sword Skill!_ Almost involuntarily, he pulled out his sabre and the beast's snorting cries died midway and it toppled over sideways. It was dead, he knew.

"Oh shit! That was cool as fuck!" shouted Dynamm.

Klein raised a thumb's up and looked around to check on his friends. Kunimittz seemed to be handling his opponent well enough, keeping its tusks at bay with his buckler while simultaneously cutting into it with his straight sword. Issin finished his off by cracking his mace onto the skull of the beast. The blond player they were helping was dancing around two boars as Dynamm loosed his arrows on them; they had a neat tag-team going that Klein did not think they needed any more assistance.

 _Where's Haru?_

A sudden fear swelled inside him as he searched for his friend. He found him running at a distance, a boar chasing him. Harry stopped to meet the charge of the boar with his spear, but then lost his nerve at the lost moment and jumped out of the way, throwing his weapon away in the process. Klein sprinted after him.

He caught the boar just as it paused to change directions. His blade bit into the beast's flank, shearing through hide and drawing blood. The tusks came for him and he jumped aside, slashing the back of its hindlegs. The boar arced backwards as its limbs gave out. Just then, Harry, who had recovered his spear, thrust into the boar's exposed belly. It shrieked and tossed around. Harry's spear was still embedded in it and the startled player let go as the beast went wild. A few seconds later and it went still.

Klein pulled out the spear, spraying blood everywhere. "Here you go, Haru."

Harry took his weapon back with a nod. "Thanks Ryou. I…I just panicked again. The only thing I thought when it was charging at me was to jump and run."

"It's okay, I understand. Like what I said earlier, just gotta try to keep your composure. If you lose your weapon like that, you're definitely dying." As soon as the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted them. _Did I say it too harsh?_

But his friend seemed to take it well enough. "I'll be more useful in the next fight," was said with conviction.

He clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, flashing a light smile, and then walked back towards the others who he saw had finished off their targets and were gathered together. Six Frenzy Boar corpses laid strewn out over the field, pooling the grass in dark brackish blood. Klein looked down at himself and found his breastplate, sleeves, breeches, and boots splattered in the same. He sheathed his sabre, but discovered his fingers unwilling to let go of the hilt, and it was only with difficulty that he managed to get them to unclench.

"Everyone alright?" he called out.

They all assented individually, and he faced the blond player. Now that he had the time to look closely, he saw that the man was in mid-twenties, with a symmetrical face, and a well-defined jawline. His smile was genuine—infectious, in fact, and Klein could not help but return it.

"You the leader of this group?" he asked.

Klein glanced at his friends, then shrugged. "You could say that."

"Well, thank you all for your help. Thought I was a goner there." He gave a laugh full of relief.

"Don't mention it. What happened though if you don't mind me asking?" Klein said.

"Oh, I thought I could be more efficient if I did a mob train and kill them at the same time. But I drew too many aggro I guess. I really don't know how to thank you guys."

"That's pretty damn reckless given the stakes," said Kunimittz, folding his arms. "I doubt trying to get yourself killed is a very efficient strategy."

The blond player frowned at that. "Reckless, maybe. But if we don't take risks, we're going to be stuck here for years. I'm just trying to clear this game as fast as possible and then get back to the real world. I'm sure that's what you guys want to do as well."

"We just want to find our friend right now," said Issin flatly.

"Oh."

"Speaking of which, we should get on with finding with him," said Klein.

As he turned to leave, the player stopped him. "Wait, why don't I help you guys find him? I still need to repay you guys."

Klein shook his head. "There's no need to pay us back. We did what we had to."

"But we won't be here the next time you do something this stupid though," said Dynamm. "Come on guys, it's getting dark. At this rate, we're better off just putting off posters all over the city. 'Missing Oaf named Dale, please call if found'."

"Dale?" the player said. "You guys talking about a big tall player with an afro by any chance?"

Everyone in the group looked at him.

"Fat?" Dynamm said hesitantly.

The blond man nodded. "Wears a white bandana headband as well."

Issin smacked his fist into his other hand. "That's gotta be Dayu, alright. He always wears that shit around his forehead in real life and do you guys remember me always giving him crap for it?"

"He said he just doesn't want to cut his hair," said Harry.

Klein let out a breath of joy, his heart pumping. "You saw him then?" he asked the player.

"I partied with him and a few others earlier but then got tired of how slow progress was, so I decided to go off on my own. Last I saw them, they were heading towards a nearby farm for a quest."

"Where is it?"

"Just northeast from here."

Klein looked at his friends and saw that they were all grinning. _Relief. I bet anyone that's what we're all feeling now._ Not to his surprise, he found that he was grinning himself. "We got him, boys."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, that's it for part 1. I wasn't sure if I should have just used the Fuurinkazan's avatar names even in dialogues, but the nitpicky side of me wanted people who are friends in real life to use each others' real names rather than avatar names. I'm not sure if that made things confusing. If it does, just write it down in a review for me. Quality wise, my writing does not seem to match up to my earlier works, at least in my opinion. Maybe it's due to rust after a long lay off from writing or maybe it's because I've lost that perfectionist streak in me that made me scrutinize every single line until it flowed well. Either way, my writing will only get better the more I write.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this. I will get part 2 done soon. I am putting all my concentration into getting this finish, if only to proof to myself that I can disciplined myself to do something if I focus hard enough. Do write reviews of what you think; be as harsh as you can, as blunt as you will. Thank you. See you all soon.


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